Transistor computer: section

• Part of the transistor computer built by Dick Grimsdale and Douglas Webb at Manchester University, first demonstrated in November 1953. The computer was commercialised by Metropolitan Vickers as the Metrovic 950. The prototype employed 250 transistors and consumed around 150W.
  
• A close up of some of the point-contact transistor circuits. For the production version, junction transistors mounted on printed-circuit boards were used. Text from A History of Manchester Computers, Simon Lavington, p35. This photo should be rotated 90 deg clockwise. Date is likely to be 1953. .
  
• Dick described the project in his talks to the BCS Computer Conservation Society (13th December 1994) and to the Computer History Museum (28th September 2000).
  
• Probably the first computer built using transistors.
  
• See also $set316 and page10c.

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This is the best of set $set421, which contains images IMG0054, page10c and page55_D5. ID: IMG0054. 4096x6144 (JPEG only). Copyright: unknown. Collection: Digital images from a variety of sources not part of the other collections. No source artefact.

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Set edited 4-Nov-2025 (Jim Miles)

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